Retailers from across the country are reporting on which products and selling and which aren’t faring as well so far this spring.

Have You Noticed A Trend In Any Product Category Customers Are Buying?

With much of the country experiencing a delayed spring, weather and its effect on the garden industry is on a lot of retailers’ minds.

Despite the delayed season, most felt sales were indicating consumer desire to spend on gardening.

Here are most commonly mentioned product categories performing well in 2013, from a short survey of retailers by Today’s Garden Center magazine:

Vegetables

Pottery and containers

Hanging baskets

Custom projects, like container gardens or small garden bed designs

Shrubs

Many retailers also say that fairy or miniature gardening is a still a big demand. “Terrariums and their supplies have stayed strong through spring,” says Cactus Jungle Nursery & Garden’s Hap Hollibaugh. “It was odd to have to reorder glass this time of year after stocking up heavily after the Atlanta Gift show in January.”

“We are in the heart of the path of the Sandy storm,” says Sickles Market owner Bob Sickles. “We were worried about landscape material sales as most homeowners had massive repairs to their homes and that would come first. That is true, but the homeowners that had no problems with the storm and their home, but did have landscape problems, are making up the difference.”

Which Category’s Slow Sales Have You Been Surprised By?

Since cold weather in much of the country delayed plant sales, it’s no surprise that annuals tops the list of slow-moving products:

Annuals

Trees

Pots

Tools

Perennials

Pottery seems to be a volatile item this spring — performing strongly for some, sluggishly for others.

One retailer thinks she knows what’s having an impact on items like containers and garden art.

“A tour of Big Lots may reveal the reason,” says Tish Llaneza, owner of Countryside Gardens. “They have Commerce Corp. closeouts filling five aisles at the Big Lots down the street.”

What Has Been The Biggest Positive Surprise This Spring In What Your Customers Are Buying?

What surprised retailers weren’t necessarily the strongest sales, although organics and vegetables easily made the list. Big-ticket items like patio furniture, grills and trees saw a surge in sales for many:

Organic

Trees

Patio furniture

Vegetables

Big ticket or high number of items purchased

Organics can probably thank the vegetable trend for its rise in popularity. And it is definitely popular throughout the country, even in the Midwest, where organic product sales had lagged behind the coasts.

“Organics is becoming the first choice for what I’d say is the majority of gardeners now,” says Phyllis Williams, co-owner of K&W Greenery in Janesville, Wis.

Those retailers who experienced a late-breaking spring saw trends that took them by surprise. “Since we’ve had a very late, cold spring (17 degrees one night last week) customers have been hesitant to buy live plants. We were suprised by the sales we’ve done in decorative garden items,” says Julie Hoffmann of East River Nursery, Huron, S.D. “It seems they just feel like they need to buy something, even if they aren’t ready for planting.”

Shortages

There do not seem to be any major shortages. The few retailers who reported having problems mentioned shortages in trees and shrubs most often.

Cactus Jungle’s Hollibaugh says small items are a hit with the party-planning crowd, making it difficult to source some of those items. “I’m having trouble finding small terra cotta, can’t seem to get the tiny stuff in and lots of people want it for weddings.”

Peggy May, marketing manager for Enchanted Nurseries and Landscapes, not only has had trouble sourcing larger specimen trees and shrubs. “It’s hard to find knowledgeable staff,” she says.

A new educational video that provides information on the horticultural industry’s essential role in bee and pollinator stewardship is one result of industry collaboration by the Horticultural Research Institute, AmericanHort, Society of American Florists and the American Floral Endowment. “Protecting Bees & Pollinators: What Horticulture Needs to Know,” narrates the current state of bee and pollinator health, provides information on factors that impact pollinators and the environment and underscores the beneficial role horticulture plays in providing healthy pollinator ecosystems.

Vegetable breeding companies will come together this August to host the Summer Vegetable Trials in California. Like the long-standing California Spring Trials that are held annually in California, attendees will have the opportunity to visit breeding companies' trial sites in seven locations throughout the state, from August 20-21, 2015. National Garden Bureau (NGB), the non-profit organization promoting gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry, is organizing and publicizing this event on behalf of its members.

DNA Green Group and Riknplant have finalized DNA Green Group's acquisition of Rijnplant, meaning that the breeding and propagation activities in pot and cut anthurium, bougainvillea and heliconia will transfer to DNA Green Group.

A new educational video that provides information on the horticultural industry’s essential role in bee and pollinator stewardship is one result of industry collaboration by the Horticultural Research Institute, AmericanHort, Society of American Florists and the American Floral Endowment. “Protecting Bees & Pollinators: What Horticulture Needs to Know,” narrates the current state of bee and pollinator health, provides information on factors that impact pollinators and the environment and underscores the beneficial role horticulture plays in providing healthy pollinator ecosystems.

Honey production in 2014 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 178 million pounds, up 19 percent from 2013, according to a March 20 report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

In an industry that has seen major changes occurring at a fast pace, many industry professionals leave Cultivate with their heads spinning and no clear idea of how to regroup and strategize. Cultivate’15 is “Changing the Game.” As this year’s focus, Changing the Game will call your attention to the ways in which our industry has changed and your opportunities to compete successfully.

The Greenhouse Grower 2015 State Of The Industry Whitepaper includes all the results of the survey, including comparisons on 2014 sales to past years, details on how 2015 production volume and prices will compare to 2014, crops that growers will increase and decrease production on, where growers stand on using neonicotinoids on crops, how many growers will pursue growing medical marijuana and more.

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) took home its fourth award for the animated awareness video "Murder, Sex and Greed." The organization also recently announced that there are two new members on its board of trustees.

During the January 7, 2015 award ceremony in the Keukenhof, in Lisse, Netherlands, Florensis received the Horticultural Entrepreneur Award. Florensis was one of four nominated companies, which also included Arcadia BV, Artemis and Martens Asperges.

Growers and retailers have a common goal — to serve customers better. In this new column, Greenhouse Grower will take a look at ways growers and retailers can work together to take advantage of profit opportunities and better meet customer needs.

The Professional Gardener Alumni Association (PGAA) will hold the 39th Annual Today’s Horticulture Symposium program will be on February 6, 2015 from 8 a.m. or 4 p.m. in the Ballroom at Longwood Gardens, and will feature an array of engaging speakers.

Greenhouse Grower’s State Of The Industry survey reveals that growers are being cautious about the inputs they use, and they’re worried about input costs and regulation, but enthusiastic about the rebounding economy.